Jellied Cranberry Sauce {canned or refrigerated}

My almost 16 year old son (excuse me while I hyperventilate a bit over that one…) has -year after year- requested a giant Thanksgiving style feast on his birthday that falls about a week and a half before Thanksgiving. It’s his favourite meal of the year and he sees no reason to be confined to having it only once. He also sees no problem with having the gigantic meal twice in one month.

…And he knows what he likes.

Since he was able to say so, the thing he has grabbed for first from the table is the bowl of cranberry sauce. It has to be smooth. He and I both feel strongly about this. Even though Martha and legions of foodies present the beautiful relishes and whole berry sauces with the recognizable berries peeking out of it, I continue to hew the middle-America, smooth, quivering, ruby-red, can-shaped tube of sauce like the one I grew up eating. My son loves this version the very best, too. Is it nostalgia? Perhaps… but it’s what I like.

…And I know what I like.

But what I like very best of all is this homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce. It has all the punch of fresh cranberries, less sugar, and a hint of orange juice all in a smooth, jelled package. Ah. Now, THIS is a good thing. That Gobble Gobble jar is just for my son. Once it has been chilled, he will sit down with a spoon and a cat-eating-yellow-jacket grin and dig in with many happy sighs.

It can be umolded like it’s cousin-in-a-can by gently running a little hot water over the outside of the jar, running a flexible, thin spatula around the inside of the jar, and plopping it onto a plate or into a bowl. If you use super fresh cranberries (not frozen) it’ll be as firm as it’s commercial counterpart. If you use frozen berries it may be just a wee touch softer set. It is still marvelous either way.

Do I have to can it?

The short answer is no. If you’re can-phobic, you can certainly pour it into jars, put the lids in place, and refrigerate it up to 10 days before serving. While I’ve not tried freezing it, I imagine the taste would hold up beautifully in the freezer. Would the jel? Couldn’t say.

Can I can it?

The short answer here is yes. I can this every year. EVERY YEAR. Make sure it’s well chilled before attempting the unmolding process. Sometimes canning can break down the pectin a wee bit. It’ll still be sauce, it just might be a little saucier than you anticipated. After canning, ours is often more like a very thick set jelly than a hard gel. I say this makes it better for spreading on leftover turkey sandwiches. The great advantage to canning it is that you can store it on pantry shelves for up to a year! Given the facts that cranberries are usually on wicked sale this time of year, and that we eat it year ’round, it makes sense to make it in massive quantities and can it up.

Why make it from scratch when I can buy it?

One more short answer and then I’ll stop with the short answers: because you can. Ahem. Sorry. But really, I do this because I like the taste better, I like the fact that I know what went into it, and I like that it’s less sweet than the commercial counterpart.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce {canned or refrigerated}

Delicious, nutritious homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce with a hint of orange is just what your cranberry sauce lovers want at the Thanksgiving table!

Course Side Dish

Prep Time15minutes

Cook Time30minutes

Total Time45minutes

Servings16

Calories193kcal

AuthorRebecca Lindamood

Ingredients

4bags fresh cranberries12 ounces each

4cupssugar

The juice of one orange plus enough water to equal 4 cups

The zest of 1 orange

Instructions

Combine the sugar, orange juice, zest and water in big stockpot over high heat. Bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 10 minutes while the cranberries pop open.[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Jellied-Cranberry-Sauce-2.jpg"]

Pour into a fine-mesh sieve over a heat-proof bowl until all that remains is a paste of little twiggy bits and seeds from the cranberries and orange zest. Pour into sterile canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims, place new lids on the jars, and screw the rings into place until finger-tip tight.

Store in the refrigerator OR place the jars filled with hot cranberry sauce in a canner and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes, whether in a pint, pint and a half, or quart sized jar. Turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars remain in the water for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack or towel to cool overnight, undisturbed. Wipe the jars down, label them, and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

I agree completely with you take on the cranberry jelly. Here’s some suggestions. I use a cloth strainer bag that’s made to strain paint( available from a paint store). You can twist it and really get out all the liquid. Also I save cans to mold it so it has the traditional grooves around it. 😊

I’m in agreement with your son. As soon as November hits I crave turkey dinner. So last Sunday I did a smaller version with a turkey breast. My 3 year old Granddaughter fell in love with the jellied cranberry sauce from the can. I told my son you need to buy that girl more cranberries. Silly me I forgot it came in a CAN and they only eat things from a CAN once in a while. So here I am today and I come and check out your blog and my Granddaughter’s love for cranberries can continue!! LOL I’m making these as soon I get my hands on fresh cranberries….Thanks again! Also since I typing….Pickle Dip Friday for Pampered Chef party!!!!

You know I’ve been making my own for four (four?) years now, but chunky not smooth… this year I am going to do it your way. Smooth. Jarred ahead, plopped out in one pieces and cut into large chunks. Love it.

We love it smooth too. Last year i made my first batch with berries. No o liked it. I had a can nust case.lol

I am going to make yours this year. And i am with your son on turkey. I also make the turkey breast with gravy i save from big turkey just for this.zzI just put it in baggies so its real gravy. Thank you, cant wait.

I attempted this with granulated splenda last night and it turned out more like a jam. Never jellied, just got thicker. I did it again tonight with the sugar and could tell a noticeable difference in how it was cooking before ever putting it in a jar and could tell a HUGE difference after I was strained and ready for the jar. My advice, don’t use straight Splenda. A mixture may work, maybe 50/50, but I don’t think I’ll be trying that.

No. Do not use splenda or other artificial sweeteners when making a food that needs to set up. The sugar is an integral part of it going from a sauce to a jelly. If you really want to replace the sugar, try toying with the recipe. Add fine diced green apples or pectin in order to make it stand without the sugar. Be careful, it wouldn’t take a lot of pectin, especially with cranberries. Unless you have acute health issues I wouldn’t suggest using splenda ever. It’s not healthier- it’s just not good for you in different ways than sugar is.

My husband always triple checks with me to make sure that jellied cranberry sauce will be present on the Thanksgiving table! I’m going to have to try and see if I can get him to switch to this homemade version!

Mine is processing right now. 🙂 When you say boil so the cranberries pop – wow – they really do pop! I ended up with enough after straining for 5 half pints, but then I saw all that lovely cranberry paste, and being one that hates to waste stuff, I plunked the pasty leftovers into 2 pint jars (with a little leftover for the frig) and tossed them in the processing bath too. I figure that will go lovely spread on leftover turkey sandwiches too.

By the way, my favorite comment in your recipe : “why should I make it from scratch when I can buy it from the store? – Because I can!” Love it! (and that’s why I do it). I seriously need to adopt a large family who will help me consume all my canned stuff.

Thanks for the recipe – I came for the candied jalapenos. I stayed for the joy of reading all your recipes. <3

Ha ha ha! “…becuz I can.” I totally agree with you~ That is exactly why we do this! I did this same thing when I made blackberry Jelly this year. I couldn’t see all the pieces of blackberries going to waste so I threw them into the crock pot and made blackberry butter. (Just like apple butter) omg it is to die for! I hate wasting anything. I’ve learned to make pectin from apple peels/cores. There are just so many ways to use all Gods blessings! I have a sign in my kitchen, made for me by a friend, that has a ball canning jar on it, and it says: “Get some balls and start canning!”

Pectin needs sugar to set up – most recipes won’t work quite right with even reduced sugars. In fact, when bottled pectin first came out, one selling point was that you could use less sugar, and boil the fruit less, so you got more and fresher tasting jelly from your fruit with less sugar… (Talking about peaches and such, with less natural pectin than cranberries.)

However, there is now packaged pectin that doesn’t require sugar. Pomona’s Pectin, and also one made by Ball, that I know of. I haven’t used it, yet, but I wonder if that might be an option for people who want a sugar free version.

I prefer chunky sauces and chutneys and relishes, myself – but I have friends who long for the canned jellied sauce they now avoid… This might be a nice gift item, if I make it work well. Thanks for the idea!

Thank you for posting this. I just made a batch and it tastes great! It hasn’t set up yet but it’s already thickening as it cools. I did mine with 3 cups of sugar and the juice of 2 oranges and water to make 4C. Tastes sweet enough but still nice and tangy. Also stick blended it and still strained it. What a beautiful color!

My jellied-cranberry-sauce-nut daughter will be very happy and you’ll get full credit at the table Thursday.

Definitely didn’t get this one right last night. I think that my fear of overly aggressive heating (see: reduction of apple pie juices fiasco of last week) meant we didn’t truly let the mixture “boil”, perhaps it was more of a simmer. Sorry, boyfriend! You were right! Ended up with four pints of runny stuff and a blind hope that it would magically set. Rookies. 🙂 It was fun, though. I’m going to try to make time to get a half-recipe done this evening. And perhaps enjoy a little of our now-cocktail mix. 😀 Thanks for the recipe. Making your cornbread stuffing, too!

I’m generally of the whole berry variety person just because I hate to waste things (like pulp) but you made this look so good and I thought it would be a great gift idea. Some of it is canning away now, and some is going straight into the fridge. It’s delicious. But now I have three cups of beautiful looking pulp left… Not seedy, no sticks… any suggestions? I think I’m going to stick it in the freezer while I mull this over. Maybe some yummy conserve or something?

Try putting it back in the pan and reducing it further. Make sure it’s at a good solid boil and not a gentle simmer… You’ll also want to be sure to keep stirring the bottom well so that it doesn’t scorch!

Mine didn’t gel either and I got 5 pints–see below. I did press out the berries in the sieve but how would that be different that just pureeing the whole batch and canning that?

So should I unseal the processed jars of ‘syrup’ and put them back on the burner to reduce? I like the syrup but still would prefer some jars of the jellied berries that I wanted in the first place.

Is there any problem with keeping some of the processed jars of syrup to use on ice cream or pancakes? I put the juice of a large orange in there with the zest so I hope that’s enough acid. to be food safe.

There’s not a thing in the world wrong with keeping some of that. It sounds delicious!!!!! Now, as for the ‘syrup’ you’d like to jel… you have a couple of options. You can use some Knox unflavoured gelatine to set it up or you could unseal the jars, pop it on the burner, and reduce, stirring carefully to prevent scorching until it reaches gel stage. (Like you’re making old-fashioned jam.) The Knox version would be far faster, but the reduction version would be more old-fashioned.

Oh happy day! I went to unseal my second try at the jelled cranberries to reprocess them and SURPRISE they had jelled! So now I have one batch of jelled and one of syrup–for pancakes and ice cream. yum……..Also am considering giving some as gifts but I will have to talk myself into giving them up haha

I am thrilled and retiring my canner for the time being. oh yeah! thanks so much for all you do.

I was so excited for this but left quite bummed. My sauce seemed thick enough when I poured it into jars but hasn’t really thickened into a jelly from Wednesday night. I too am going to reheat and reduce and see where that gets me. I’d like to know what it looks like, thickness stage wise before it gets jarred. Is it already somewhat jellied or just a thick reduction? I’ve never made jelly or canned but am pretty baking and cooking savvy.

I made this for Thanksgiving. It was a huge hit. It didn’t gel, but that didn’t make a difference. And I actually decided to ‘crush’ the cranberries and leave them in. I will be making this again! oh and I only made 1/4 of the recipe and had no problems at all.

I’m making cranberry jelly for gifts – tastes wonderful! But I don’t have a canner. Can I just boil the 4 oz canning jars in a pot for 15 minutes? I have never canned before. Where does the water come up to on the jar? Thanks for any help.

I made this for Thanksgiving dinner, since we all prefer jellied sauce. I was excited that I could make my own, as I had never seen a recipe for it before. I had a can of the store bought stuff chilling in case the recipe failed or somebody missed the old standard. No need, it was never opened and the homemade sauce was a big hit. I cannot believe how easy it was to make and how great it tastes! I even sent a jar home with a very satisfied friend. This will now be a yearly go-to. Thanks so much!

I wish I found this BEFORE Thanksgiving! I have a son the same who will eat cranberry sauce straight from the can. I tried making my own, and it came out a little too sweet because the recipe I found has twice the sugar this one has! I’ll be making a quarter batch tomorrow to see if he will accept the addition of orange juice and zest.

I make cranberry sauce but leave it in the fridge overnight before serving. I plan on canning the sauce this year for my family so we can have it for easter since cranberry’s aren’t in season then. If I am going to can would I skip the fridge step?

Ah, well if it is exactly the same as this recipe, I would skip the fridge step… I really can only speak to this one particularly, though, since it is the one I tested. I know acidity plays some roll in naturally occurring pectin’s power, so I hesitate to assure you that it would behave the same way without it.

This looks GOOD! I’ve been trying to wean my husband off the canned stuff for a couple of years now but he keeps insisting we have the canned stuff on the table. This year, we’re going to make the switch 🙂 ! No canned sauce as backup either…

I just stumbled upon your blog last night.. I lost HOURS of my life. In an amazing way! I am hosting my very first thanksgiving this year- and this recipe was so easy! I decided to whip it up a few days early to save myself some time. I ended up with five good size mason jars. Which I was shocked at because I could not stop eating a spoon here and there. Seriously delicious and so easy to cook! Especially for those of us that have zero skills! 🙂

Hi Dashielle- Have you chilled the sauce to see if it sets up then? If not, you may have accidentally purchased a bag of older cranberries with less naturally occurring pectin. You can save what you’ve already worked with by preparing it like you would gelatin. You can buy unsweetened/unflavoured Knox gelatin and follow the instructions for gelling juice. Simply sub the cranberry liquid in for the juice.

I did finally make a single bag batch of sauce for Thanksgiving – it was SOOOOO good! Came out of the jar as nice as you please and got many compliments on it. I have a few more bags of cranberries set aside for more sauce and will can those for yummy eating through the year 🙂 !

I love spicing my cranberry jelly, when I’m boiling the sugar and water ,I add in a whole jalapeno, cut off the stem,make a couple of cuts in the pepper (leave whole) ,remove when adding berries,finish as usual, soo good

I made this recipe last year for thanksgiving. It was my first canning project and I had a friend, who owns a waterbath canner and is a much more experienced canner than I, help me. It turned out wonderful! I decided this year to buy my own canning supplies so I can keep making it every year! Thank you!

I made this today – I had two 12 oz bags of fresh cranberries halved the recipe. I used the best of a medium-sized orange and ended up with a very orangey sauce… Loved it! I didn’t strain the sauce and just kind of smooshed the berries so it’s a little chunkier. I also canned it and it turned out very well

I made this four years ago and every year since. I had never tried fresh cranberry sauce before, but your wonderful description persuaded me to try this one. It has the perfect level of sweetness, and the orange highlights the best flavors of the cranberry. It’s delicious and an instant family tradition! Thank you for sharing it.

Hello, just want to mention that I️ was thrilled finding this recipe and made it today……..not ONCE does t]he recipe mention adding pectin, or something to make the jelly sauce solid. I️ went online twice and in ingredients, etc., do you mention adding pectin. What is that all about??? Was so excited. Was it a mistake or….? I️ have six beautiful jars of actual Cranberry sugar juice….too bad. Is there a way to fix this?

I️ have been baking, cooking, etc., for over 50 years. Thanks for response.

Hi Marilyn- The reason the recipe doesn’t specify adding pectin is because cranberries are so high in naturally occurring pectin that most of the time none is needed! If you made it with fresh cranberries it should set up.

Another note about the sugar; do NOT use coconut sugar. I tried it and it turned out yucky tasting after having been canned and not like the original before it was canned. It also doesn’t dissolve completely and will leave granules and cause a slightly brown color, nor does it jell real nicely. Definitely using regular white sugar next time, much as I hate to, it’s only a couple times a year anyway, right? 😉

This cranberry sauce is so very easy to make and delicious. Was gifted a case of cranberries and looked up recipe. This was first one I saw and tried it. Will definitely make two more batches tomorrow. Thank you.

Just made and canned this last night and it turned out wonderful! The only thing I changed a little was I cooked the cranberries, water and juice first, pureed that , strained it, then added the sugar. I also cooked it to 220 degrees on my candy thermometer, it was perfectly form when I processed it in the jars. Thanks so much for the post!

Hi Bert- I am sorry to say that I am not super familiar with sugar free canning. I know that my recipe is solid and works well as written, but have never tried it sans sugar. Please let me know what the results are if you try it.

Hi Jessica- It sounds like for whatever reasons, your cranberries may not have had as much pectin as they usually do. I’d recommend you try this easy fix.

I’d grab some unflavoured gelatine powder at the grocery store (usually sold as Knox Unflavoured Gelatine) and follow these instructions.

Measure 1 cup of your cold cranberry sauce into a heat-proof bowl and sprinkle 4 tablespoons of the gelatine over the it. Let it set undisturbed for 1 minute. Measure 3 cups of your cranberry sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the boiling cranberry sauce over the gelatine, then stir gently for about 5 minutes, or until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Pour into jars or a heat-proof bowl/pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

If you do this, it will not be suitable for canning, but it will be firm for your meal!

I just wanted to note that you should not use clementines. It came out very tart. Though it didn’t say how much zest to use so I may have over did that. Do you know how hard it is to zest a clemantine… they get mushy as you go… same with the squeezing out the juice. Boy… that was not a good idea.

I 1/4 this recipe with a cranberry bag of 14oz.

And because of the reviews that sauce did not set up I boiled for the full 10 minutes. Though the cranberries that I used were from Dole and they were soft and popped right away. Less then 2 minutes. I doesn’t say on the package but I’m sure they preboil these.

I knew there would be to much water in the dish to set. So I continued to boil them and the water reduced and it got thicker as it cooked.

I was going to keep the left overs in the siv but it was so tart I tossed it out. Next time I make this I will leave the orange out and make it just like the can. Good luck to you all..

I’m not leaving stars since I had so many different issues it wouldn’t be fair to the blog.

Wowza! It sounds like you had a real time of it, Angela. Let’s see if I can address a couple of your issues. I’m with you on Clementines. Don’t use those. Stick with a regular old navel orange. And the zest will sort itself out if you use an orange, since you use the zest from the whole orange. Be sure you’re just using the orange zest and not getting into the white pith. The pith might make it unpalatably bitter to most folks.

It’s fine to quarter the recipe, as long as you quarter everything in the recipe. So if you use 1/4 of the cranberries specified, you’d use 1/4 of the juice of a whole orange plus enough water to equal 1 cup of liquid total, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/4 of the zest from a whole orange.

The process is still the same, though. No matter how long it takes them to pop, you still want to gently boil for 10 minutes to help extract and activate the natural pectin in the sauce. The acidity of the orange juice helps with that.

It probably won’t be really thick when it’s done. It’s when it’s cooled that it has set up. Pectin is a natural gelling component in food and if you have good cranberries, there should be enough in there to make a good, soft-set to stiff gel when the liquid cools and is chilled.

About the Dole cranberries; from your description, it sounds like you got a bad bag. Cranberries should be smooth, firm, unblemished, and vibrant in colour. If they’re soft, they’re bad. I have never heard of a company pre-boiling cranberries because that would basically destroy the cell structure. Cranberries are a curious combination of hearty-in-transit and ticking time bomb. If they freeze, you can still use them and you’ll end up with a product that will be as good as using them from fresh, but you should never thaw before cooking because that will turn them to mush.

So my best guess, from what you’re saying, is that you either had a bag that had gone bad, or been frozen and subsequently thawed.

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